What Social Media Sites Should my Business be on?

As frequently asked questions go, the most common social media marketing question is, “How many and which social media sites should I use?” Very often, entrepreneurs and businesses are advised, when it comes to social media networks, to “be everywhere.” The advice they receive is that they need a large online footprint. Therefore, the opinion of some experts is a company must create and maintain accounts on all the major social media websites, and on all new and emerging networks. However, this is not true.

As you read today’s blog entry, you will start to understand the need to focus your efforts. Simply put, don’t waste your time on websites that provide no return on investment. When you properly target your efforts, you will benefit from better leads, improved customer retention, and enhanced reputation management. Would that be a benefit for your company?

The majority of businesses will find the most effective strategy is selecting between 2 to 5 social sites. Moreover, it is not recommended to have accounts to use only occasionally or “just to have.” Social media success relies on building your reputation on these networks. Having accounts that have little activity, or look abandoned, can have a negative impact. The better option is to maintain a consistent schedule of activity on a small number of social sites.

So, which are the best sites? According to Statista.com, there are 2.34 billion people on social media. Of those, the largest is Facebook with 1.87 billion active users. Most companies, regardless of your target customer, will benefit from being on Facebook. That said, sites like Facebook and Google+ are focused on connecting with friends and family, and focuses on enhancing those interactions. On the other end of the spectrum, platforms like Twitter and Tumblr are about rapid communication. Additionally, Instagram and Pinterest concentrate on sharing images and are ideal for companies that can exploit visually stunning photos.

Ultimately, while there are hundreds of social media networks, they are not carbon copies of each other. Spend the most time on the sites that your customers actually use. Moreover, the worst thing a business can do is spread itself too thin. If you have an account on a social site, your customers and followers expect you to be active. Therefore, the best advice is to do more on fewer sites.

What haven’t we covered yet that is important to you? If you would like to talk about how many and which social media sites to use, or other related topics, please contact us.